Baby on Board
by RicksIlsa
Summary: Nick is disturbed by something he witnesses on the job and rushes home to get reassurance that his new 'family' is okay. Nick-Adalind


A/N: I wrote this before last night's episode so it's kinda AU now. Spoilers for 'Lost Boys'

This has not been beta'd

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Baby on Board

Nick gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles had turned white. He forced himself to take deep breaths as he sped through the city anxious to get home. It only took about eight minutes, but it felt like hours. All he could think of was the mangled car, same make and model as Adalind's, that Wu had crashed into. The sergeant had been taken hostage by a homicidal wessen and in an effort to get the upper hand he had decided to purposely crash his vehicle into a parked car. Wu insisted that he had known the car was empty, but Nick had still lost his temper.

Though Nick knew the destroyed car had not actually been Adalind's, he couldn't help but feel sick when he saw the point of impact was right where Kelly's car seat would have been. If Nick's son had been in the car, he would have died, no question. That terrifying thought had him leaving the unconscious wessen for Hank and Wu to deal with while Nick hurried home with the intense need to see for himself that Kelly and Adalind were alright.

The relief he felt upon seeing the car undamaged in it's spot when the door opened made him dizzy and he sat for a moment with his eyes shut and waited on his pulse to slow.

When he finally opened his eyes, he saw Adalind staring at him curiously from the doorway. She looked worried and he felt foolish. What was wrong with him? Adalind and Kelly were counting on him to be strong and protect them. What would she think if she knew he was practically having a nervous breakdown over some random car accident where no one was hurt?

Nick took a breath and squared his shoulders before getting out of the car.

"Hey Nick. Is everything alright?" She hesitantly asked.

He nodded and she let out a relieved sigh.

Nick tried to act like there was nothing wrong and that it wasn't unusual for him to be home from work so early. However, as he walked toward Adalind he was hit with a strong desire to hug or at least touch her in someway. That was odd, because they were careful about not purposely touching.

Though it had been nearly a week since he and Adalind started sharing a bed, all they did was sleep. Other than an occasional brush of a leg or arm while sleeping, they didn't touch each other. When they talked, half the time Nick felt like he was walking on eggshells, sure that saying the wrong thing would upset her. The rest of the time, it felt like they were flirting, though neither of them let it get too serious. The flirting seemed to be more of a distraction from their odd situation than anything else.

There was no escaping the fact that he and Adalind were bound together forever though, through the amazing and unconditional love of this tiny baby. Sometimes Nick would look into Adalind's eyes and feel... something real. It was too soon, but time was passing quickly. Eventually it wouldn't be too soon- He wasn't ready to think about that yet though.

Nick was not ready to hug her, but couldn't help but nudge his shoulder against Adalind's when he passed her to walk into the bunker. He heard her quiet gasp at the contact, but forced himself to keep walking until he got to Kelly's bassinet.

His son slept soundly, not a worry in the world. Nick smiled at the sleeping infant and looked up to shared a fond glance with Adalind.

"We need to get a 'baby on board' sign for your car," he said.

She snorted.

"Why? I'm a good driver-"

"You're driving is not the point, Adalind," he argued, voice raising slightly with barely controlled panic.

Adalind narrowed her eyes and gestured for him to follow her away from the sleeping baby. Nick sighed and followed her down to the kitchen.

"What's going on, Nick? Why are you upset?" She asked, turning her back on him to make a pot of coffee.

"I'm not upset," he protested and then sighed again when he realized he was pouting.

Adalind didn't comment. She pushed the button to brew the coffee then turned to face him leaning back against the counter and crossing her arms.

He looked down.

"There was a car accident today. The car looked just like yours, and I knew it wasn't but I couldn't..." He left the thought unfinished.

Nick stiffened when he realized Adalind was suddenly right in front of him. He hadn't heard her move. She slipped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his chest.

"We're okay Nick," She assured him softly.

He relaxed and when she made no move to step away he moved his arms up to hold her against him.

"I know. I knew that, but I just needed to _see_ it. I don't know why," he confessed and she pressed closer to him.

"I understand. I have nightmares sometimes and it's all I can do not to wake Kelly up to assure myself that he's still breathing," She divulged.

Nick nodded, though he knew she couldn't see it.

"It never occurred to me that I would be so afraid for him. I feel like I should be stronger than this," he admitted and rested his chin on top of her head.

Adalind pulled back enough to see his face.

"No one can be strong all the time, Nick. Not even a Grimm," she said, with a slight smile.

He smiled back and stared into her eyes. Adalind licked her lips and Nick's gaze dropped to them. Kelly's piercing cry made them both jump apart.

"No, I'll get him," Nick said when Adalind turned to go.

After he changed the baby's diaper Adalind came into the room with a heated bottle. Nick sat on the bed and scooted back to lean against the headboard. She handed the bottle over, perched next to him and watched with a content look on her face.

"The 'baby on board' sign is to alert emergency personal to look for a baby if the car is in an accident," he said after a moment of silently watching Kelly eat.

"Okay."

He looked up and smiled.

"Thank you."

That night after they got into bed, Nick spent a long time staring at the ceiling and listening to Adalind and Kelly breathe. It was comforting in a way that it hadn't been before.

Adalind let out a soft gasp and shifted agitatedly in her sleep. He wondered if she was having another nightmare. He turned to look at the back of her blond head and wondered if he should wake her. Then another idea occurred to him. They had been so careful with their not-touching, but she had taken the initiative and crossed that line earlier. Now it was his turn.

He rolled up onto his side and slipped and arm around her waist. Adalind startled slightly and he began to pull back.

"No," she mumbled and pulled his arm back around her.

Nick let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and pulled her back against his chest burying his face in her hair. She sighed and left her hand resting on top of his where it lay over what was left of her baby bump. Nick slept deeply and without dreams, waking in the morning more refreshed than he could ever remember feeling.

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A/N: The idea for this fic came from my horror at watching a character in another TV show do what Wu did. Seriously, the 'empty car' they slammed into looked a lot like my SUV and the impact was right where my 11 month old niece's car seat is. It was horrifying to watch. :(

Last night's episode, 'Maiden Quest' was full of little Nick/Adalind gems and I'm sure that I will have a fic written from it, but it will have to wait... probably. Really, I need to work on my SBB fic, this is getting ridiculous!


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